The Cleveland Browns keep running the ball, no matter who is getting the carries. But with three candidates to choose from this week, which Browns running back is the right choice to start on your fantasy football team? Let’s check out the outlook for each player.
Should You Start Kareem Hunt, Pierre Strong Jr., or Jerome Ford This Week?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Kareem Hunt is the player to start. His projected 9.5 points include a projection of 29 rushing yards, three receptions, and 18 yards. That projected stat line outperforms the consensus projections for Jerome Ford (9.0 points) and Pierre Strong Jr. (7.6 points).
MORE: 2023 RB Fantasy Football Rankings
My ranking for the three Browns running backs aligns with the consensus, with perhaps the biggest reason being Hunt’s ability to get in the end zone.
Fantasy Outlook for Kareem Hunt This Week
Getting the start last week, Kareem Hunt was on the field for 27 offensive snaps and made the most of it, finishing with a season-high 51 rushing yards and scoring a touchdown for the third straight game.
Hunt, who has four rushing touchdowns over his last three games, is a big reason why the Browns have rushed for at least 150 yards in three consecutive games, the first time Cleveland has done so since the first five weeks of last season.
Hunt has been consistent for the Browns over the last few weeks, getting at least 10 carries in each game and scoring in each one. He has been held under four yards a carry in every game this season, so fantasy managers shouldn’t expect him to break one this week.
Fantasy Outlook for Pierre Strong Jr. This Week
Strong showed flashes early. He rushed for 49 yards on only five carries in Week 4 against Baltimore, but the most encouraging sign for Strong’s fans is his consistent time on the field.
In each of the last two weeks, Strong has played 31% of the Browns’ offensive snaps. The rushing numbers have been relatively lifeless over the last two games (66 yards in two games), but he also came away with a 41-yard reception last week.
The PFN Start/Sit Optimizer projects Strong to finish with 24 yards and catch two passes for 14 yards.
Fantasy Outlook for Jerome Ford This Week
Ford remains the Browns’ leader in rush attempts (87), rushing yards (381), and receptions by a running back (15), and he is the only Browns player this season with more than one touchdown reception (two).
There are certainly legitimate reasons to like Ford when deciding between these three. He has found the end zone four times this season, running for two scores and catching a pair of touchdown passes.
But ever since being on the field for a season-high 62% of the offensive snaps in Week 4 against the Ravens, Ford has seen his time on the field cut back with each passing week, culminating in a season-low 26 snaps last week.
PFN’s Start/Sit Optimizer projects Ford to finish with 90 rushing yards in Week 9, but it also projects him to get shut out in the receptions department. His teammates, Hunt and Strong, are projected to have at least two catches each.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!